Story Time
by Sully-van
Summary: Living in a hospital was hard, but the friendships you made and the stories you heard made everything a little bit better. Hospital AU. Hinted Ace/Luffy.


**Note**: ...Not the best day or best fic but hopefully it's not horrible. I'll go back and deeply proofread(fix any missed tense mistakes) it in a while.

For AceLu week, with the prompt 'fictional'. It's still may 2nd here in the west coast so I'm good..

* * *

**Story Time**

* * *

"'Once upon a time,'" Makino reads softly, the lights dimmed and the four young teenagers around her listening intently. "There was a man known as the Pirate King. He was known for conquering the dangerous Grand Line in a single voyage and for finding a treasure unlike any other. At his execution, the Pirate King announced to the crowd that anyone could have his magnificent treasure, but they would have to explore the whole world to find it! Countless of pirates sailed the seas in search of his treasure, called the One Piece, but to this very day it has never been found."

"Really?" One of the teens breathes, completely entranced by her story. His big blue eyes stare up at Makino in awe, eagerly listening to her story. He's a tiny boy for his age. Accidental bruises cover his arms and he's curled up in a blanket that covers him and another teen,making him look even smaller. No one in the room looks moderately as interested as the teen.

Makino hums. "That's right, Luffy. It was a long, long time ago but it's sad to be true!"

The boy, Luffy, brightens up when he hears those words, wasting no time in turning to the older boy next to him and grabbing onto his arm. The older boy is pale and nearly as thin as Luffy, freckles covering his body from head to toe. He's wrapped up in the blanket with Luffy.

"Wow, Ace did you hear that!" Luffy exclaims in excitement, leaning his head on Ace's shoulder. "Pirates and treasure! Lets go find it!"

Ace chuckles and ruffles Luffy's hair, nearly as excited as Luffy is over the story. Since the boys had met six months ago, they had become inseparable and a force to reckoned with. "Sure, let's bring Sabo too!"

Luffy cheers at the acceptance and the mention of Ace's brother, which causes Makino to smile softly. The nurse looks at the other boys in the room, Zoro and Usopp, and sees that they are respectively sleeping and falling asleep, unlike the two chattering black haired boys.

"It looks like it's time to take you back to your room, boys." Standing up and placing the picture book on her previous seat. Ace stands up on his own, too stubborn to let Makino help even if he needed it. However, Luffy is a different case. The thirteen year old gratefully takes his nurse's hand and stands up on shaky legs.

Luffy ties his blanket around his neck like a cape after he greets his sleepy friends goodnight. The thirteen and sixteen year olds both wear hospital gowns that hang off of their frames.

"Ne, Makino?" Luffy inquires as they walk down the hall back to their room. "Torao is gonna see us tomorrow right?"

"Yes," Makino confirms. "He's going to run tests on you boys and see if you're getting any better."

"Oh..." Luffy says, his face falling a bit at the mention of tests. He likes Torao a lot and the doctor always made the best faces, but the tests always ended up hurting. "After the tests, can me and Ace play pirates?"

Makino smiles down at the youngest patient. "Of course you can, but you might want to sleep for a while after them."

"Okay!" Luffy chirps, before turning to the older freckled boy holding his hand. "I get to be captain this time!"

Ace's eyes narrow. "You were captain last time."

Luffy's lips pucker in a pour imitation of a whistle and he starts to sweat, looking anywhere but at Ace. It was extremely easy to see through his next words. "No I wasn't..."

"Luffy, it's Ace's turn to be captain." Makino scolds lightly.

"But Makinoooo..."

"You heard her... Cabin boy." Ace taunts.

Luffy's face falls. "I'm not the cabin boy! I'm the captain! You're... You're a swab!"

"What did you say?!"

Makino rolls her eyes fondly as she leads the both boys to their shared hospital room.

* * *

When he wakes up after the tests, Ace isn't surprised to find everything a little sore. Or to find Luffy clinging to his torso like a baby monkey.

It should have been annoying, waking up to someone squeezing him especially around the stomach, but he couldn't find it in him to do so. If anything, it made him smile.

He loved waking up with Luffy by his side. The small, sickly thirteen year old had a natural talent of making Ace feel better with ease, even to the point where Ace could nearly find himself forgetting that he had stomach cancer in the first place or that Luffy had leukemia.

The freckled sixteen year old reaches out and brushes away a hair from Luffy's face. He looks peaceful, like he's getting sleep that he needs. The tests that were run on both boys always led to hours of sleep for recuperation.

Luckily however, Law didn't seen adverse to shoving Ace and Luffy into one bed after the tests were over.

Idly, Ace wonders what time it is but he doesn't necessarily care, still feeling tired. It wasn't like he was going to get visitors today, after all. He was much more content with falling back asleep with Luffy at his side.

As if sensing something, Luffy shifts and readjusts his arms so he can hug Ace better and so his face is burried in the crook of Ace's neck. It's faint, but Ace can barely just hear Luffy mumble Ace's name in his sleep.

Ace's lips curve into a smile as he relaxes. This was much better than getting up.

* * *

Luffy decided early on that he liked the people that visited Ace. They were all nice to Luffy and a lot of them had funny hair.

Marco, Thatch, and Sabo visited nearly every day and brought presents for not only Ace, but Luffy too. Sometimes, Sabo would even play pirates with them. It was not uncommon to see Ace's other siblings or the man that had adopted them all, Whitebeard, around too.

Luffy liked Whitebeard a lot. The thirteen year old wasn't too sure why his name was Whitebeard, but he was really big and he told really, really cool stories. He knew a lot about pirates.

Luffy's own family rarely came to visit, but his whole family was just his grandpa. The old man couldn't come a lot because he was a marine and had to travel the world, but he always brought Luffy back yummy food and other things from around the world he thought Luffy would like. Back when Luffy had first been admitted into the hospital, Grandpa was always around the first two months but then he had to do his duty.

Luffy doesn't really mind. He isn't lonely, after all. He has Makino, Zoro, Usopp, and the son of a worker named Chopper who likes reindeer. And Luffy's friend from his old school, Sanji, visits and fights with Zoro a lot. There is also Nami and Vivi, who came to visit relatives but Luffy quickly befriended. And he couldn't forget about Robin, Franky, and Brook who came to visit all the time. Robin and Brook read stories and played music to Luffy and the other people staying in the hospital, while Franky was really funny.

And, most importantly, he has Ace.

Ace is really great. He can be grumpy and they fought at times, but Luffy is so glad that Ace was put into his room. In all of his life, Luffy never liked anyone the same way he does Ace. And he liked his friends a lot. But he liked different and he always felt warm when he was with Ace, which was good considering that Ace was almost always with Luffy. The only times they were really seperated were when they had to takes tests or when Luffy caught sick due to his leukemia.

Luffy kicks his legs restlessly as Makino wheels him down the hall. He had fallen sick early last week, sick enough for him to have to be separated from Ace. Luffy was better, but still felt a little weak and Makino didn't want to risk him walking back to the room, so she was pushing him in a wheelchair. Really, Luffy just wanted to walk on his own. He wanted to run to his room jump on Ace's bed.

Too bad that he had already tried doing that and his knees had given up on him just after he started running. Even still he felt tired.

He cranes his head and looks up at Makino. She smiles down at him, but she looks worried. The nurse had been looking a lot more worried since Luffy had fallen sick last week.

So Luffy grins as wide as he can and asks her if they can go to Ace faster. Makino giggles softly and started walking faster, making Luffy cheer.

Makino knocks on the closed door softly before opening it. "Ace?"

Luffy basically jumps out of the wheelchair as soon as the door is open and starts walking as quick as he can into the room. Ace turns his head so he's facing Luffy and he looks... Nervous. Which was weird because Ace never really got nervous.

And then Luffy sees a man sitting on one of the guest chairs. He's old, maybe as old as Whitebeard, and he has long gray hair and glasses. Luffy thinks he looks friendly, but wonders why Ace looks nervous.

"Hi Ace!" Luffy chirps, completely ignoring the nervous air around Ace. He climbs onto Ace's bed slowly, Ace quickly reaching out to help him up.

"Are you okay?" Ace asks carefully. "You look tired."

Luffy blinks. Now that he thought about it, he did feel tired. "I am! Do you wanna take a nap? Ah, but there's an old guy visiting you."

The old guy laughs while Makino sighs softly. Luffy stares at them, confused.

"This is Rayleigh... He's my godfather. I haven't seen him on a while." Ace says softly. Luffy 'ooo's softly and turns to look at Rayleigh.

"Ace, we can always catch later. I'll be in town for a while this time." Rayleigh says grinning at the boy. Ace's lips twitch slightly.

"Ne, old guy I'm tired. Do you know any good stories? Old guys know a lot of stories!" Luffy says, like its a fact.

"I know one or two." Rayleigh says and Luffy cheers and settles himself on Ace's bed, smiling when Ace lays down next to him.

* * *

Soft, ragged panting coming from Luffy's bed wakes Ace up. The teen rolls out of bed and hisses at the sharp pain in his stomach, but ignores it to the best of his ability. The floor is cold under his feet as he walks over to Luffy's bed.

Ace peers over and curses a little when he sees Luffy. The sleeping boy is flushed and sweat rolls down his face, but he's shivering like he's freezing. His lips are curved in a frown, like he's in a lot of pain.

Reaching over, Ace pushes the button that alerted the nurses twice.

He puts his spare hand over Luffy's head and pulls it back automatically over how hot it was.

Like this, he can see how bad Luffy looks. Ace had noticed much thinner than he first was when Ace met him and the dark bags under his eyes, but it was much clearer when Luffy was sleeping. And Luffy was sleeping a lot more than usual and got tired easily, while Ace was finding it easier to stay awake.

A few nurses enter the room quickly, one seeing that Ace was standing in the room and flipping on a switch.

"Ace, please go back to bed." Makino says as she and the other nurses flock around Luffy.

Ace hesitates, especially when one of the nurses comments on how Luffy's burning up. He knows he won't be able to do anything to help but something inside of him was screaming at him. He only backs up when the nurses start moving Luffy from his bed.

He silently lets one of the nurses give him something so he won't catch whatever Luffy has. He is also ushered back to bed.

Ace doesn't fall back asleep that night.

* * *

It was clear that Luffy was getting worse. He would still laugh and smile at Ace, but he couldn't get out of bed on his own anymore and sometimes needed the wheelchair to get around. But Luffy never once got sad or angry about it, staying happy and optimistic, never talking about his steadily worsening leukemia.

But Ace is terrified.

Seeing Luffy get worse is terrible. He wishes that Luffy would get better more than anything.

He still acts normal around Luffy, but he can't help but be worried. In the months they've known each other, Luffy has quickly become one of the most important people in Ace's life. He couldn't even think about life without Luffy at this point and the thought that he might have to left him cold inside.

"Ace-ya?" A familiar voice says and the almost seventeen year old looks up from his lap. Dr. Trafalgar sits across from him, pen secure in his fingers and ready to start writing at any second.

"Ah," Ace says. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Did it hurt?"

Ace glares at the Doctor. "No. I was... Thinking about Luffy."

Law's eyebrows furrow. Ace knew that Law was fond of Luffy; it was hard not go be.

"He's not getting better, is he?"

Law sighs softly, almost nonexistent, as he rests his tattooed hands over his clipboard. "He was in remission for a short while and we kept him in the hospital to keep a close eye on it, but his leukemia returned after a month. I will do my best to cure him, Ace-ya."

Ace tries to ignore the way his fingers start to shake, capturing his hospital gown in a vice grip.

"Now, you on other hand... The tumor in your stomach has shrunk considerably. It's still there and you will still feel pain, but the chemo is working."

Ace hums. That is good news, really good news and he's happy about it, but he honestly couldn't stop thinking about Luffy.

* * *

"Ne, Ace?" Luffy murmurs against Ace's neck. It was a week after Ace's seventeenth birthday. He wanted to sleep with Ace tonight and Ace had helped him into bed. Luffy misses being able to jump into Ace's bed on his own, but having Ace take care of him was nice too. Luffy has missed cuddling with Ace. "Torao told me that you might get to leave soon."

Luffy feels Ace tense against him.

"...Yeah."

"That's great!" Luffy says. "That means you're getting better right? I'm so happy for you Ace!"

Ace hums and doesn't nearly sound as excited as Luffy is. He tightens his grip around Luffy's waist, but is careful to not cause any accidental bruises.

It's quiet for a moment before Luffy starts humming softly. "Ace? After you get out, will you still come visit me?"

Ace jerks sharply and sits up quickly, making Luffy wince just a little. "Shit, sorry Lu! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Luffy shakes his head and smiles up at Ace. "Nope! I'm fine!"

Ace doesn't look like he was completely sure about that, but he lies back down. His brown eyes shine with an intense fire. "Of course I'll visit you Luffy. No one can stop me. And I'll even tell you the best stories!"

"Really?!"

"I promise!" Ace sticks out his pinky and crosses it with Luffy's, sealing the promise.

"Shishishi, I can't wait! Do you know any pirate stories?"

"Well... Let's see... Once there was a pirate nicknamed Fire Fist. He was very strong, not many people could stand up to him. Everyone feared him and left him alone. But one day, he met another pirate. This pirate was nicknamed Straw Hat. At first, Fire Fist hated Straw Hat. He thought the other pirate was a brat and too nosy. But, unlike all of the other people in the world, Straw Hat wanted Fire Fist to live. They slowly got along better, until they became inseparable. They were friends, but Fire Fist began to develop other feelings for Straw Hat."

Soft snores stop Ace from his storytelling.

He smiles softly and holds Luffy close.

"Goodnight, Straw Hat."

* * *

It's a month after Ace's seventeenth birthday when Dr. Trafalgar declares him cancer free and that he can be discharged from the hospital.

Luffy can't stop smiling for Ace and hugs him as tight as he can. Before Marco and Thatch come to pick Ace up, Luffy sits comfortably on Ace's lap, not really talking about a concrete topic. Luffy babbles about everything and then some and Ace is perfectly happy to listen.

Part of him is sad to go, not wanting toeave Luffy. But he's glad that he's finally healthy again. It had been a bumpy road, since they had detected cancer in Ace nearly two years ago.

"You'll visit me soon, right?"

"Everyday if I can." Ace says, grinning down at Luffy.

"Good! Ne, can you tell me more about Fire Fist and Straw Hat?" Luffy asks curiously.

Ace looks away sheepishly. "You remember that?"

"Of course!"

"How about I tell you more about them when I come to visit?"

Luffy hums in thought before nodding. "Okay! I can't wait!"

"I can't either."

* * *

Ace traps his lower lip inbetween his teeth and kicks his legs in the air nervously. He was back at the hospital for the first time in a while, finally being allowed to visit again.

Six months had passed since he had been discharged from the hospital. For the first two months, Ace came to visit Luffy frequently. Everytime he came, he had a new story for Luffy, which delighted the thirteen year old. The thirteen year old seemed to be doing a lot better than he had at the end of last year. However, for the past three and a half months Ace hasn't seen Luffy. He had missed the younger teens fourteenth birthday. The younger teen had gotten really sick and the hospital told him that Luffy couldn't currently have visitors, due to them combating the leukemia.

It was really hard, not seeing Luffy. He loved his family, but he could only think of Luffy - something they seemed to see and understand. (Not without teasing Ace, of course.)

He had decided to visit the hospital today, not knowing if he would be able to visit Luffy or even speak to Makino.

"Ace?" The seventeen year old jolts when he hears his name and turns to the speaker. Makino is standing just a bit away in all of her glory. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to see Luffy." He says, after a second.

Makino looks a bit hesitant. "Well, to be honest I'm not sure if you can. His grandfather ordered us to move him to a private room after the last time he got sick. It was really bad, Ace. He's doing a lot better, though... I'll ask Dr. Trafalgar."

Ace looks at the nurse with hopeful eyes and she smiles before turning around and walking back the other way.

He doesn't know how long he waits, but it feels like forever. Ace nearly jumps out of his seat when he sees Dr. Law coming down the hall.

"Ace-ya," the Doctor greets. "I spoke to Luffy-ya's grandfather. You can go visit him, but it has to be short."

Ace stands up and nods, thanking the Doctor. Makino leads him to the elevator and brings them a few floors higher. They end up on a very quiet floor and walk to the end of the hall.

"Luffy? Are you awake?" Makino says, knocking on one of the last doors softly.

"Makino! Hi! I'm awake!" Luffy's voice chirps and it feels like a weight has been lifted from Ace's chest.

"You have a visitor." Makino says and steps in the room, allowing Ace to follow in close behind her.

Luffy looks curious, but when his eyes land on Ace his mouth falls into a perfect little 'o'.

Ace just stares at the younger teen. He was looking a lot better than he had when he had last seen him. His cheeks had more color to them and he looked like he had put on a few much needed pounds.

Before Ace knows it, Luffy is wrestling with his blankets and is trying to climb out of his bed, excitement and happiness clear on his face. The seventeen year old walks over and pulls Luffy's hands from the covers. The hands quickly slip out of his and wrap around Ace's torso, pulling the older teen down onto the bed with him.

"I missed you." Luffy mumbles into Ace's neck.

Ace chuckles and runs a hand through Luffy' hair. "I missed you too, Lu."

"Ne, you never finished telling me about Fire Fist and Straw Hat." Luffy whispers in Ace's ear.

"Hmm.." Ace hums, his arms wrapping around Luffy's waist. "After a bad war, they were separated for a long time. They both held onto hope though, that they would meet again and guess what?"

"What?"

"They did and spent the rest of their days sailing the seas."


End file.
